The Clippers' DeAndre Jordan looks to shoot over the Warriors' Draymond Green in game seven of the Western Conference playoffs, Saturday, May 3, 2014, at Staples Center. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker/L.A. Daily News)

Next victim.

The Clippers over the past week have had to endure one of the bigger sports scandals in recent memory, no thanks to the racist comments of since-banned team owner Donald Sterling caught on tape.

Battered but unbowed, they found a way to weather a hurtful and emotional storm when they defeated the Golden State Warriors 126-121 on Saturday to win Game 7 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series before 19,543 at Staples Center.

The Clippers win the series 4-3 and advance to the conference semifinals and will play Game 1 at Oklahoma City on Monday. The Warriors, though they played a gallant series, will head home to Oakland, their season over.

It was an incredible back-and-forth game with plenty of heroics.

The Clippers trailed almost all of the first 2 1/2 quarters before they finally took the lead for the first time at 73-72 on a basket by J.J. Redick. The Clippers lead 87-84 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Clippers led 103-96, but then the Warriors came back to take a 107-106 lead on a 3-pointer by Andre Iguodala with 4:24 to play. But the Clippers were not going to roll over on their homecourt and when Blake Griffin threw down a dunk with 1:54 to play, they were up 112-109.

The Warriors called time out to set up the final moments of a real thriller.

Blake Griffin, who led the Clippers with 24 points, made a layup then rolled over backward after hitting the floor for a 116-111 lead. Leading 118-115, DeAndre Jordan threw down a dunk off a lob by Griffin for a 120-115 lead.

But Draymond Greed nailed a 3-point basket to get the Warriors within 120-118 with 13 seconds to play. The Clippers’ J.J. Redick made two free throws with 12.1 seconds to play. Stephen Curry then threw up an air ball, and Chris Paul made two free throws for a 124-118 lead.

Curry came back and made a 3-pointer to cut his team’s deficit to 124-121, but Darren Collison made two free throws with two seconds left to seal Golden State’s fate.

Curry led the Warriors with 33 points, Green had 24 and Klay Thompson 15.

The Clippers trailed almost all of the first 2 1/2 quarters before they finally took the lead for the first time at 73-72 on a basket by J.J. Redick. The Clippers led 87-84 heading into the fourth quarter.

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The Warriors didn’t waste any time jumping on the Clippers and led seven points at 15-8 with the game just over four minutes old. They led 19-10 on a dunk by Iguodala at the 6:20 mark, but the Clippers fought back with a 6-0 run that culminated with a 3-footer by DeAndre Jordan to get within 19-16.

Los Angeles got to within 23-21 on an 18-footer by Chris Paul, but Golden State finished the quarter on 9-1 run to lead 32-22 heading into the second quarter.

The Warriors up their advantage to 34-22 at the outset of the second on two free throws by Curry, but then it was the Clippers’ time to get their fans revved up a bit.

Beginning with two free throws by Darren Collison, they outscored the Warriors 7-0 to cut their deficit to 34-29.

Los Angeles kept at Golden State, thanks in large part to sixth-man Jamal Crawford. When Crawford hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and made the free throw, the Warriors’ lead was down to 45-43.

Down 49-44, Crawford buried another 3-pointer to get again get close at 49-47. Paul tied it 49-49 on a 16-footer with 3:58 left before intermission.

Undaunted, the Warriors outscored the Clippers 15-7 the rest of the way to take a 64-56 lead into the break.

Golden State shot 58.5 percent in the half, the Clippers 51.3. Crawford and Griffin both had 13 points in the half for Los Angeles, as did Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for Golden State.

Before the game, the coaches engaged each other in psychological warfare after Clippers coach Doc Rivers was informed that Warriors coach Mark Jackson has been saying all the pressure is on the Clippers.

“You know, whatever. He’s been saying that for a while, so I think what he’s trying to say is, ‘Please, my team, you’ve gotta relax yourself because it’s all on them.’ I think that’s what Mark’s really saying.”

The Clippers are the No. 3 seed, the Warriors are No. 6. That’s not to mention that although both teams are battling nagging injuries, Golden State has not had the services of its starting post - Andrew Bogut - all series because of a fractured rib.

Jackson pointed some of that out about 15 minutes after Rivers spoke to reporters.

“I appreciatre Doc,” Jackson said. “We’re trying to play chess, three’s no question about it. It’s high level, I’m in over my head.”

Laughs all around.

“But the facts remain that they have two of the top 10 players in the world (meaning Blake Griffin and Chris Paul), the facts tell me that they have the Sixth-Man of the Year (Jamal Crawford), the facts tell me that have a future Hall of Fame coach.

“The facts tell me that they’re a better basketball team over the course or 82 games, which made them the No. 3 seed, and have homecourt advantage in Game 7. So the facts are that they’re the better basketball team up until this point. And the pressure is on them to finish off a No. 6 seed.”